Gazing at the vast, empty desert, Xiao Yan gradually came to his senses. He lowered his head and glanced at the ring on his finger, speaking helplessly, “Teacher, can you come out now?”
Hearing Xiao Yan’s words, the ancient, pitch-black ring quivered slightly. The Pharmacist Elder slowly drifted out, sweeping his gaze over where the previous group of people had disappeared, then turned to Xiao Yan, smiling with a deep meaning, “It seems something big is about to happen in this desert.”
Xiao Yan nodded slightly. With such a formidable group arriving, it was no wonder the desert would be in chaos. Once Yue Mei returned, the snake people tribes in the desert would likely enter a state of high alert.
“What are they doing in the Tager Desert? Is the Jia Ma Empire planning to start another war with the snake people?” Xiao Yan frowned, somewhat puzzled.
“From their earlier conversation, it seems they are looking for the Queen Medusa,” the Pharmacist Elder said calmly.
“Looking for the Queen Medusa… Even though their lineup is strong, the Queen Medusa is no easy target. Moreover, among the eight major tribes of the snake people, there are many powerful individuals. If they have the chance to gather, I don’t think that group of people can leave the desert unscathed,” Xiao Yan shrugged, a hint of schadenfreude in his smile. Among that group, only the mysterious figure in black had made him feel some goodwill; the others were like strangers to him, and he had no intention of worrying about them.
“That person in black robes is also a Battle Emperor,” the Pharmacist Elder said with a smile.
“So what if he’s a Battle Emperor? Haibodong was also a Battle Emperor, but he still ended up in a miserable state because of the Queen Medusa,” Xiao Yan chuckled, then pondered, “But really, why are they looking for the Queen Medusa? Humans are not well-received by the snake people.”
The Pharmacist Elder gently stroked his beard, smiling, “That middle-aged man I mentioned earlier has a strong soul perception. He must be an Alchemist.”
“An Alchemist?” Xiao Yan was first taken aback, then exclaimed in shock, “A Dou Wang-level Alchemist? How is that possible?”
Seeing Xiao Yan’s incredulous expression, the Pharmaiser Elder shook his head and smiled faintly, “I’m not wrong. He is indeed an Alchemist.”
Looking at the Pharmacist Elder’s calm smile, Xiao Yan gradually calmed down. Frowning, he said in a low voice, “If he is an Alchemist, then with his Dou Wang strength, he must be at least a sixth-grade Alchemist. But in the Jia Ma Empire, there is only one sixth-grade Alchemist!”
As he spoke, Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed, and he exhaled deeply, as if trying to expel his shock. After a long while, he said softly, “Could that middle-aged man be the Dan King Gu He?”
“If that person is truly Gu He, then it’s not surprising he could gather so many strong experts,” the Pharmacist Elder laughed. He was very clear about the influence a sixth-grade Alchemist could wield.
“Heh, I never expected…” Shaking his head and laughing, Xiao Yan’s expression was oddly strange. He recalled the Qi Gathering Powder that Nalan Yanran had used, which seemed to be made by this person.
“An Alchemist suddenly gathering so many strong experts to search for the Queen Medusa in the great desert. I suspect he might also be after the Flame Essence. I wonder how he got the information,” the Pharmacist Elder said, looking towards the end of the desert, smiling faintly.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s expression changed slightly, and he clenched his fist tightly. He had put a lot of effort into obtaining the Blue Lotus Heart Flame. Anyone who tried to stop him from getting it would be considered an enemy, even if that enemy was the influential Dan King Gu He.
“Teacher, let’s move…” Gripping the heavy ruler embedded in the sand, Xiao Yan exhaled, saying, “No matter what their goal is, whether it’s the Blue Lotus Heart Flame or not, we must quickly reach the depths of the desert. If Gu He really has that plan, let’s allow them to fight each other.”
“Ha, sounds good. Let’s be the fisherman,” the Pharmacist Elder said with a laugh, nodding slightly before his body shimmered and entered the ring.
Putting the heavy ruler back into his storage ring, Xiao Yan pursed his lips. His back trembled, and the Purple Cloud Wings emerged, flapping slightly as his body gradually levitated. Looking up at the silver moon in the sky, he said softly, “The Charm Snake Tribe must be in turmoil due to Gu He’s group passing through. We can use this opportunity to sneak through quietly. I think Yue Mei won’t stay in the tribe; she might go deeper into the desert to inform the Queen Medusa…”
“Agreed, let’s go. When we pass through the tribe, I’ll help you hide your aura. With the dim light, we should be able to pass through smoothly,” the Pharmacist Elder’s voice came from the ring.
Nodding, Xiao Yan put a Qi Restoring Pill in his mouth, and with a powerful flap of his wings, his body transformed into a dark shadow, flying once again towards the large tribe on the main road under the faint moonlight.
Flying for almost half an hour, a massive tribal fortress slowly appeared on the distant horizon. The fortress was brightly lit, but the flickering firelight revealed signs of unrest. As he got closer, Xiao Yan could even hear the commotion from the wind. He was secretly pleased, thinking, “It seems they did indeed rush through here…”
As the thought flashed through his mind, Xiao Yan finally arrived above the fortress. Scanning the seemingly endless super-large tribe, he felt a bit awed. On the towering, dozens-of-meters-high walls, countless arrow towers were densely packed, their tips tinged with a faint purple, gleaming coldly under the moonlight.
Seeing this intricate and strict defense, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but wipe a cold sweat. With such a defense, even a Great Dou Shi or a Dou Ling would be shot into a honeycomb in a short time if they were careless.
However, although the fortress’s defenses were extremely strict, what made Xiao Yan relieved was that a large path had been forcibly created in the defensive circle. All the arrow towers near the path had been shattered by a powerful force, clearly the work of Gu He’s group. Due to this sudden destruction, the massive fortress was now in chaos, and using this opportunity, Xiao Yan managed to sneak through the defenses, flying high into the sky, and then rushing towards another part of the fortress.
Flying high, Xiao Yan once again felt the enormity of the fortress. In terms of size, even the largest city he had seen, Black Rock City, couldn’t compare.
“The Eight Major Tribes, indeed, are the strongest forces among the snake people,” Xiao Yan mused as he flew through the night sky.
“Be careful, we’re approaching the edge of the fortress. There are fewer destroyed arrow towers here, and the guards haven’t lost much strength,” the Pharmacist Elder’s voice suddenly rang in his mind.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s expression became serious, and he scanned the nearby towering walls. Indeed, the walls hadn’t been destroyed, only a few large cracks ran along them. Above the walls, hundreds of fully-armed snake people patrolled with sharp spears.
Just as Xiao Yan was about to charge through the final layer of defense, a strange howl, half wolf, half fox, echoed in the sky. Hearing the howl, Xiao Yan’s face changed, and he looked up to see a large, black, peculiar bird circling overhead, clearly a warning sentry set by the snake people.
“Alarm! Alarm! Someone in the sky, prepare poisoned spears, aim and shoot!” A cold, harsh command came from the walls. Hearing the command, the slightly panicked snake guards quickly quieted down, coated their spears with poison, and aimed at Xiao Yan, who was flying towards them.
“Discovered…” Feeling the intense gaze of hundreds of eyes, Xiao Yan’s scalp tingled. Ignoring the circling black bird, he flapped his wings rapidly, turning into a dark streak, and rushed towards the wall.
“Aim at the position of the Wolf Falcon, and bring him down!” A graceful, cold snake woman on the wall ordered, her beautiful eyes filled with anger. The moment her command fell, the hundreds of fully-armed snake guards roared, stepped back, and then thrust forward, their poisoned spears slicing through the air with a sharp whistling sound.
“These damned humans, do they think my Charm Snake Tribe is easy to bully? To dare intrude forcefully into our city tonight!” The cold snake woman glared at Xiao Yan, gritting her teeth. The previous group, led by Gu He, had broken through the city due to the lack of strong guards. Now, Xiao Yan was coming alone, enraging the clearly high-ranking snake woman.
Her icy gaze fixed on the sky, the cold snake woman seemed to see the terrified face of the human, her red lips curling into a bloody smirk, waiting for the feast of blood. She could sense that the human in the sky was only a Dou Shi. Although she didn’t understand how a Dou Shi could fly, it didn’t dampen her killing intent. Under the barrage of poisoned spears, a Dou Shi would only be shot into pieces.
However, under the watchful eyes of hundreds of guards, the flying human, just as the poisoned spears were about to hit, suddenly burst forth with a cold white flame, charging straight into the mass of spears. In the dumbfounded gaze of the snake people below, the flaming figure charged through the deadly spear swarm, not stopping, and swiftly disappeared into the night.
“Damn it!” Staring at the disappearing figure, the cold snake woman slammed her fist against the parapet, causing cracks to spread, frightening the nearby snake soldiers into silence.
“Clean up the city, repair the walls, and immediately inform all the snake tribes nearby. Also, notify the leaders of the other seven major tribes and ask them to send strong experts to trap these despicable humans in the desert!” The cold snake woman, gazing at the dark sky, her icy voice brimming with killing intent.
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